'We wanted to go out with a bang' — Geralt returns in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Songs of the Past's new trailer, promising a final action-packed journey ahead of The Witcher 4

Geralt's Swan Song: New Expansion and Free Remaster Announced at Gamescom

At Gamescom, CD Projekt Red revealed the first trailer for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Songs of the Past, a new expansion that the studio describes as the final journey for protagonist Geralt of Rivia. The reveal came during the event's Opening Night Live showcase, alongside a significant announcement: The Witcher 3 itself will receive a free remastered version on September 29 for owners on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S.

The remaster brings a range of improvements to the 2015 title, including smoother combat, UI enhancements, a revamped skill tree, an expanded photo mode, new finishing moves, and graphical upgrades to textures, lighting, and ray tracing, as reported by CNET. The updated game will also debut on Nintendo Switch 2 and Battle.net on the same day. CD Projekt Red is additionally making the game's two existing expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, free starting Tuesday, according to the same report.

Songs of the Past: A New Region and a New Weapon

The new expansion, Songs of the Past, is co-developed with Fool's Theory, a studio led by veterans of The Witcher 3 production. Miles Tost, level design lead at CD Projekt Red, explained the collaboration and the expansion's purpose during the presentation. "We had this idea for one more story with Geralt for a while, but we couldn't quite figure out how to fit it into our busy schedule," Tost said, according to TechRadar. "Luckily, our friends from Fool's Theory … hired a bunch of old veteran Witcher 3 developers, including my mentor, Peter Jennings, and here we are today."

Tost confirmed that Songs of the Past will be Geralt's last adventure, saying: "This is Geralt's last adventure before we pass the torch on to Ciri, and we wanted to go out with a bang." The expansion introduces a new region called Letten, which Tost described as "a whole new, unique region that has a unique identity," filled with quests, new monsters, and exploration, but also harboring a dark secret, as TechRadar reported. The trailer showcased new enemies and weapons, including a chain-based weapon that can grapple foes—a piece of gear that Tost noted was first teased in the intro of the original Witcher game.

CNET added further detail on the expansion's world, describing Letten as "a region with its own identity, filled with questions, monsters and a dark secret" and noting it will feature never-before-seen enemies and new weapons.

The Witcher 4 and the Franchise's Future

While Songs of the Past marks Geralt's finale, CD Projekt Red has already confirmed that The Witcher 4 is expected in 2028, with the story focusing on Ciri, Geralt's adopted daughter and fellow witcher, as reported by CNET. TechRadar's coverage also echoed this timeline, placing the expansion in 2027 and the next mainline title in 2028.

The expansion is currently slated for PC and Xbox Series consoles only, per CNET, with no mention of PlayStation availability in the materials covered.

Both outlets highlighted the significance of these announcements coming during Gamescom 2026, with CNET describing the remaster and expansion as the "show's highlight" of the event, marking a nostalgic moment for the 11-year-old game. TechRadar's report emphasized the emotional weight of Geralt's farewell, quoting Tost's "go out with a bang" sentiment directly.

As of now, the exact release date for Songs of the Past remains unspecified beyond its 2027 window, and the free remaster's September 29 launch is set to arrive before the expansion, giving players a chance to revisit the classic before Geralt's story comes to a close.